A Florida mom is facing charges after allegedly killing her young son. Justine Mroz was arrested after she called 911 to report her son’s death. The mom was quickly identified by police as the only suspect in her son’s death, based on what she told the 911 dispatcher when she called. As police began investigating, it became clear Mroz had suffered from some sort of breakdown, likely from the pressure of parenting. Of course, that isn’t a reason to kill your child, and she will likely get time in jail to reflect on her actions.
On October 19, 2025, 911 received a call about a juvenile homicide, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office shared in a Facebook post. “The suspect, an adult woman and mother of the juvenile, reported the incident to dispatch around 9:50 a.m.,” the post noted. At the time, the sheriff’s office explained it was an isolated incident and there was no threat to the public.
In a post later the same day, the sheriff’s office revealed that 40-year-old Mroz had been arrested on a charge of second-degree homicide.
Officers arrived at Mroz’s home and found her with cuts and blood on her arms, according to an affidavit, WFLA reported. During her 911 call, the mom allegedly told the dispatcher that she killed her son and was going to kill herself. Her son was lying on the floor, unresponsive. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Mroz told police that her 6-year-old son was diagnosed with autism at a young age. That morning, he was watching TV when he began banging his head on the floor and hitting himself. She tried to restrain him, but he began biting and hitting her. He reportedly hit her directly in the face.
That’s when the mom got angry, telling police that she “snapped” before grabbing him, the affidavit noted. Justine Mroz then kneeled over her son’s body, choking him with both hands. She didn’t even stop when he began to fight back, continuing until her son’s little body was lifeless.
Once she was finished, she went into the bathroom and took out razor blades, cutting her wrists. Then she called 911. Mroz said that she sent a text message to her family members saying that she was sorry, but didn’t include any reason for the apology, WFLA reported. She told detectives that she had purchased the razor blades two days before killing her son. Before picking her son up from his father’s house, she had attempted suicide.
The Miami Herald reported that Mroz worked as a teacher at West Pasco Education Academy’s Harry Schwettman Campus in Hudson.
“Pasco County Schools can confirm that Justine Mroz is employed by Pasco County Schools. She has been arrested by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office and will not be on any school campus,” the district shared in a statement.
“On behalf of the entire Pasco County Schools family, we extend our deepest condolences to all who are grieving. We are deploying crisis teams to provide care and support to those affected by this heartbreaking event,” the statement added.
Mroz appeared in court on October 20, and the state asked that she be held without bond. She will remain in jail until her pretrial hearing on October 27.
